Terms / groups/ people/ eras/ movements Flashcards
(33 cards)
raising tax revenues
Raising tax revenues means increasing the amount of money collected by the government through taxes
The Cult of Domesticity
The Cult of Domesticity was a widespread cultural ideal in the 19th century that emphasized the role of women as homemakers and moral guardians of the family. It promoted the idea that women should embody piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity, focusing their lives on home and family rather than pursuing work or public influence. Didn’t really apply to working class women or obviously enslaved women.
The Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention, held in July 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, was the first women’s rights convention in the United States. Organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, it gathered activists to discuss women’s equality, particularly voting rights.
Key Points:
Declaration of Sentiments: Stanton wrote a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence, demanding equal rights for women, including the right to vote.
300 attendees, including abolitionists and reformers, among them Frederick Douglass, who supported women’s suffrage.
Marked the beginning of the organized women’s rights movement in the U.S.
While the convention didn’t immediately lead to change, it was a crucial step toward women’s suffrage, which was achieved with the 19th Amendment in 1920.
abolitionists and one example
Abolitionists were individuals and groups who fought to end slavery in the United States and worldwide. Their activism spanned the 18th and 19th centuries, leading to the eventual abolition of slavery. Frederick Douglass – A formerly enslaved man who became a powerful writer, speaker, and advocate for abolition.
Harriet Tubman – Led enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Age of enlightenment
The Enlightenment Era, also known as the Age of Enlightenment, was a period in the 17th and 18th centuries when intellectual and philosophical movements emphasized reason, science, individual rights, and progress. It challenged traditional authority, including monarchy and religious institutions, and laid the groundwork for modern democracy.
Key Ideas:
Reason Over Tradition – Advocated for logical thinking and evidence-based knowledge instead of blindly following customs.
Natural Rights & Individual Freedom – Thinkers like John Locke argued that all people are born with rights to life, liberty, and property.
Separation of Powers – Montesquieu proposed dividing government into branches to prevent tyranny, influencing modern democracy.
Social Contract – Rousseau argued that government should serve the people, inspiring revolutions like the American and French Revolutions.
Scientific Advancements – Figures like Isaac Newton revolutionized physics, showing that the world could be understood through science.
imperialists and impearialism
Imperialism is the policy or practice of extending a nation’s power by controlling territories beyond its borders, often through diplomatic, economic, or military means. It was especially prominent in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with European nations, the U.S., and Japan expanding their influence.
Key Aspects of Imperialism:
Economic Motivation – Countries sought raw materials, markets, and resources to fuel industrialization.
Political Expansion – Nations aimed to strengthen their global influence and gain strategic territories.
Cultural Justifications – Some imperialists claimed they were spreading civilization, Christianity, or Western values (e.g., the “White Man’s Burden”).
Military Control – Colonizers often used force to maintain dominance over territories.
Ideals of Republican Motherhood
Republican Motherhood was an early American idea that emphasized the role of women as moral guides and educators for their children, helping shape future citizens who would uphold republican values like liberty, democracy, and civic virtue. Key Ideas:
Women had an important role in preserving the republic by raising patriotic, responsible citizens.
Encouraged education for women, so they could teach their children about government and morality.
Reinforced traditional gender roles—women weren’t expected to directly participate in politics but were seen as influential through their families.
Emerged after the American Revolution, as leaders emphasized the need for an informed citizenry to sustain democracy.
Impact:
Helped expand educational opportunities for women in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Laid the foundation for women’s activism, influencing later movements like women’s suffrage and social reform.
The Temperance Movement
What it was:
A social reform movement aimed at reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption in the U.S.
Advocated for moderation or total prohibition, believing alcohol caused moral and social issues.
What led to it?
The Second Great Awakening inspired reform movements, including temperance.
Concerns about alcohol abuse, crime, poverty, and family instability.
Religious groups and social reformers saw alcohol as immoral and harmful to society.
Why was it implemented?
Reformers wanted laws restricting alcohol sales and consumption.
Groups like the American Temperance Society (1826) and Women’s Christian Temperance Union (1874) led the movement.
First Great awakening
What it was:
A religious revival that emphasized emotion and personal faith over traditional church authority.
Encouraged individual spirituality and led to the growth of new Christian denominations.
What led to it?
Growing dissatisfaction with formal, rigid religious practices in colonial churches.
Ministers like Jonathan Edwards (“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”) and George Whitefield preached fiery, emotional sermons.
Why was it implemented?
Religious leaders sought to reignite faith and make religion more personal and accessible.
Was it successful?
Yes! It increased religious diversity, led to the rise of Baptist and Methodist churches, and influenced revolutionary ideals of individualism.
Second Great Awakening
What it was:
Another religious revival, but with a stronger social reform focus, including abolition, temperance, and women’s rights.
Encouraged personal salvation and active involvement in improving society.
What led to it?
Declining church attendance and concerns about morality in the expanding U.S.
Preachers like Charles Finney and Lyman Beecher promoted revival meetings with passionate sermons.
Why was it implemented?
Religious leaders believed Americans needed moral guidance amid westward expansion and social change.
Was it successful?
Yes! It fueled movements like abolitionism, women’s suffrage, and temperance, leading to key reforms in the Antebellum period.
Womens sufferage
Women’s Suffrage refers to the movement advocating for women’s right to vote, which led to major political changes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
What led to it?
Republican Motherhood & The Cult of Domesticity encouraged women to be moral influencers but kept them out of politics.
The Seneca Falls Convention (1848) marked the beginning of organized women’s suffrage efforts.
The abolitionist movement inspired women’s activism—many suffragists had fought for the end of slavery.
After Reconstruction, African American men gained voting rights through the 15th Amendment (1870), but women were still excluded.
What was the movement about?
Suffragists argued that voting was a natural right and essential for true equality.
Groups like the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, pushed for constitutional change.
The National Woman’s Party (NWP), led by Alice Paul, used more aggressive tactics, including hunger strikes and protests.
Women’s contributions during World War I helped build support for suffrage.
Impact:
The movement led to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote.
Influenced later efforts for equal rights in politics, education, and employment.
Antebellum Period (1815–1861)
The Antebellum Period refers to the time in U.S. history before the Civil War, roughly between 1815 and 1861. It was marked by economic growth, social change, and increasing sectional tensions between the North and South, especially over slavery. Key Themes of the Antebellum Period
Sectionalism & Slavery Tensions
The Missouri Compromise (1820) tried to balance free and slave states.
The Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) increased tensions.
The rise of abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.
Economic Transformations
The North became more industrialized, while the South remained agrarian, relying on slavery.
The cotton industry expanded due to Eli Whitney’s cotton gin (1793), deepening Southern dependence on slavery.
Reform Movements
Abolition (ending slavery)
Women’s rights (Seneca Falls Convention, 1848)
Temperance (anti-alcohol movement)
federalists and anti federalists
During the debate over ratifying the U.S. Constitution (1787–1788), two major political groups emerged: the Federalists, who supported the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it. Their disagreements shaped American government and led to the creation of the Bill of Rights.
individual salvation
This emphasizes personal faith and a direct relationship with God rather than relying solely on religious institutions.
Common in Protestant Christianity, where believers seek salvation through personal acceptance of Christ.
Was a key theme during the First and Second Great Awakenings, when revivalists preached that salvation was open to all and required a heartfelt, individual commitment.
Encouraged people to take personal responsibility for their spiritual fate, rather than just following traditional rituals.
individual salvation was important during religious revivals, especially the Second Great Awakening, which led to major social reforms like abolition, temperance, and women’s rights.
depth of federalists
Federalists
What they believed:
Supported a strong national government to maintain order and stability.
Favored the Constitution, believing it was necessary for a unified country.
Argued that the checks and balances in the Constitution would prevent tyranny.
Key Figures:
Alexander Hamilton – Promoted a strong federal government and economic policies like a national bank.
James Madison – Helped draft the Constitution and defended it in the Federalist Papers.
John Jay – Co-wrote the Federalist Papers, arguing for ratification.
What they wanted:
A government with three branches and a strong executive.
A system to maintain law and order while balancing power among states and the federal government.
depth of anti federalists
Anti-Federalists
What they believed:
Opposed a strong central government, fearing it would become too powerful.
Wanted more power for state governments to protect individual freedoms.
Believed the Constitution lacked explicit protections for personal rights.
Key Figures:
Patrick Henry – Spoke out against the Constitution, saying it would lead to oppression.
George Mason – Opposed the Constitution because it lacked a Bill of Rights.
Thomas Jefferson – Though not an Anti-Federalist officially, he favored states’ rights.
What they wanted:
Stronger state governments to avoid centralized control.
A Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties.
Transcendentalism and the Transcendentalist Movement
social darwinism
Developed in the late 19th century, applying Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” concept to economics, politics, and society.
Used by wealthy industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller to justify economic inequality, arguing that success in business was proof of superiority.
Used to support laissez-faire capitalism, meaning the government should not interfere with business or aid the poor.
Tied to imperialism, as expansionists claimed it was natural for stronger nations to dominate weaker ones.
Opposed by Progressives, who fought for workers’ rights, economic reform, and social justice.
While Darwin’s original theory of evolution affected science, Social Darwinism played a key role in Gilded Age and Progressive Era debates, making it the version of Darwinism most relevant to APUSH
The gilded age (1877-1900)
The Gilded Age was a period of rapid economic growth, industrialization, and political corruption in the U.S. after Reconstruction. While the country prospered, wealth inequality soared, and big businesses dominated.
laissez-faire and laissez-faire capitalism
Laissez-Faire Capitalism:
A system where businesses operate with little to no government regulation.
Based on the belief that free markets naturally create efficiency and prosperity.
Supports private property, competition, and individual entrepreneurship.
Opposed to government intervention, tariffs, and regulations.
Laissez-Faire in U.S. History (APUSH Focus):
Gilded Age (1877–1900) – The government followed laissez-faire policies, allowing monopolies to grow unchecked.
Industrialists like Carnegie & Rockefeller benefited, creating huge corporate empires.
Weak regulation led to corruption, poor working conditions, and wealth inequality.
Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) saw efforts to limit laissez-faire capitalism through antitrust laws and labor reforms.
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a U.S. foreign policy statement issued by President James Monroe in 1823. It declared that European nations should not interfere in the Americas, shaping U.S. foreign relations for decades.
What led to it?
European Colonization Threats – Spain and other European powers were losing control of Latin American colonies, and there were fears they might try to reclaim them.
U.S. Expansion & Nationalism – Americans wanted to assert dominance in the Western Hemisphere, avoiding European influence.
What it said:
The Western Hemisphere was off-limits to European colonization.
Any European attempts to interfere would be considered a threat to U.S. security.
The U.S. would not interfere in European affairs or existing colonies.
Missouri Compromise (1820)
The Missouri Compromise was a major piece of legislation aimed at maintaining the balance between free and slave states in the U.S. as westward expansion continued.
What led to it?
Westward Expansion – New territories were applying for statehood, raising concerns about slavery.
Missouri’s Request for Statehood (1819) – Missouri wanted to enter the Union as a slave state, which would upset the balance between free and slave states.
Sectional Tensions – The North and South were divided over whether slavery should expand into new territories.
What it did:
Missouri was admitted as a slave state.
Maine was admitted as a free state to keep the balance.
Slavery was banned in the Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30’ latitude line, except for Missouri.
progressive era
The Progressive Era was a time of major social, political, and economic reform in response to the problems caused by industrialization, urbanization, and corruption. Reformers sought to limit big business power, improve working conditions, expand democracy, and promote social justice.
Louisiana Purchase (1803
The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the U.S. and France, in which the U.S. acquired 828,000 square miles of territory west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. President Thomas Jefferson oversaw the purchase, which doubled the size of the U.S. and paved the way for westward expansion. Though controversial—some argued the Constitution didn’t grant the federal government authority to acquire new land—the deal strengthened the U.S. strategically and economically. It also led to the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806), which mapped the newly acquired territory and advanced American claims in the West.
